In Episode 120, we explore a topic that is incredibly common, but rarely talked about at work: reproductive loss.

We’re joined by Dr. Katrina Brownell, Assistant Professor of Management at Virginia Tech, who uses an autoethnographic approach to examine her own experiences with pregnancy loss and what happens when organizations lack the language, policies, and support to acknowledge it.

Reproductive loss—including miscarriage, stillbirth, and other forms of pregnancy loss—affects a significant number of people. Yet in many workplaces, silence is the default response. We talk about how silence at work doesn’t mean nothing is happening. It often means employees are carrying more than we can see.

This episode challenges organizations to rethink how they approach grief, privacy, and support, and whether current workplace norms are truly serving employees in their most difficult moments.

You can find Dr. Brownell here: https://management.pamplin.vt.edu/faculty/directory/brownell-katrina.html

You can find her paper here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gwao.70158

In episode 119 , we dig into a question many of us have experienced firsthand: Why does a stressful day at work make us (and our partners!) devour cookies, takeout, or comfort food.

We’re joined by Dr. Wiston Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, to explore new research on how workplace stressors, specifically illegitimate tasks, shape employees’ eating behaviors after work.

Illegitimate tasks are assignments that fall outside your role or feel demeaning (like being asked to do work that “isn’t your job”). Dr. Rodriguez’s research shows these experiences don’t just impact your mood—they can trigger negative emotions that lead to unhealthy eating behaviors, and those effects don’t stop with you.

We discuss:

* What illegitimate tasks are and why they feel so stressful

* How workplace stress drives emotional eating and poor food choices

* The surprising finding that these eating behaviors spill over to partners and families

* How broader systems—like income, access to food, and work conditions—shape health outcomes

* Why workplace stress doesn’t just affect performance—it affects physical health and long‑term well‑being

* Practical steps managers and organizations can take to reduce harm, from clear communication to supportive workplace culture

This episode highlights how everyday workplace decisions—like how tasks are assigned—can ripple outward into employees’ homes, relationships, and health behaviors.

You can find Dr. Rodriguez here (https://psychology.sdsu.edu/people/wiston-rodriguez/).

You can find the paper here (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41542-025-00247-w).

We are excited to introduce the Healthy Work Graduate Student Research Contest. If you are currently a graduate student (Masters or PhD) engaged in research on the intersection of employment/work and health/wellbeing, please consider submitting your research for consideration for this contest.Winners will be invited onto the podcast to share their research, and will receive a certificate and small gift (a book).The research need not be published, nor does it need to be your thesis or dissertation. But, it does need to be primarily the work of the graduate student. If an advisor or other authors are included in the research, they must approve of your submission to this contest. Applications are due August 16, 2026. Decisions will be made in the following month with episodes to air by January 1, 2027.https://colostate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cUPoJWM55Mfduom

In episode 118, we’re joined by Dr. David Arena to explore how people decide whether, when, and how to reveal important parts of their identity at work, especially in environments that feel unwelcoming or hostile.

Much of the research on workplace identity assumes disclosure is a simple yes‑or‑no choice. But Dr. Arena’s work shows that identity management is far more nuanced. Through two studies of lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees in the U.S. and U.K., this research highlights identity signaling: subtle, strategic behaviors people use to “test the waters” before deciding whether to stand out or blend in.

We get a little personal and discuss:

* What identity signaling looks like in everyday workplace interactions

* How employees scan their environment for cues about safety and belonging

* Why hostile work environments and everyday incivility push people to hide who they are

* The emotional exhaustion that comes from blending in and suppressing identity

* Why some employees respond to hostility by doing the opposite—standing out more defiantly

* What coworkers, managers, and leaders can do to create climates where authenticity is truly optional, not risky

Find Dr. Arena here: https://www.uta.edu/academics/faculty/profile?user=david.arena

This is the paper we discussed: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/job.70073

In episode 117, we explore a question many working parents and professionals experience daily: Why do some demanding workdays leave us energized and fulfilled at home, while others leave us completely drained?

Drawing on a recent daily diary study published by Junker and colleagues in Work & Stress, we unpack new research on workload, work‑related rumination, boundary control, and work‑to‑home spillover. The findings help explain why workload has long shown mixed and confusing effects in the research: sometimes it’s harmful, and sometimes it actually enhances life outside of work.

We discuss:

* Why high workload isn’t always bad—and when it can lead to positive work‑to‑home enrichment

* The critical difference between work‑related rumination (stressful, tense replaying) and problem‑solving pondering (energizing, creative thinking)

* How these two mental processes shape whether work stress helps or hurts family life

* Why boundary control matters, and why it helps amplify positive spillover but doesn’t eliminate negative rumination

* Practical implications for managers: how framing, autonomy, and prioritization can reduce harm when workloads increase

* What individuals can do on high‑demand days to protect their energy and relationships at home

We have a video version of this podcast available on our YouTube:

In episode 116, we’re joined by Dr. Beth Stelson, Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, to unpack an often invisible, but consequential, workplace hazard: vicarious trauma.

Vicarious trauma occurs when workers are repeatedly exposed to other people’s traumatic experiences, leading to psychological and physiological stress responses—even when they haven’t experienced the trauma firsthand. This is especially common among healthcare workers, social workers, substance use disorder professionals, and other helping professions, yet it’s rarely treated as a core occupational health issue.

We explore:

* What vicarious trauma is and how it differs from burnout and PTSD

* Why focusing only on symptoms misses the root of the problem

* How repeated exposure to trauma at work affects mental health, physical health, job satisfaction, and turnover

* New evidence linking vicarious trauma to serious physical health outcomes

* The Vicarious Occupational Trauma Exposure (VOTE) Index, a new tool designed to measure where and how trauma exposure happens in the workplace

* Why prevention requires organizational and system‑level interventions, not just individual self‑care

This conversation reframes vicarious trauma as a workplace hazard, similar to chemical exposure or noise exposure, and makes a compelling case for redesigning work, increasing organizational responsibility, and protecting the health of the workers our communities depend on most.

If you work in healthcare, social services, public health, or any trauma‑exposed role, or if you manage, study, or support people who do, this episode offers a powerful, research‑driven look at why vicarious trauma matters and what can actually be done about it.

You can find Dr. Stelson here: https://publichealth.washu.edu/faculty/elisabeth-stelson/

You can find the VOTE here: https://psycnet.apa.org/psycarticles/2027-28298-001.pdf

In episode 115, we explore a workplace trend that refuses to die despite years of employee complaints and growing research evidence: open office layouts. Drawing on a newly published study by Michael Rosander and Morten Nielsen in Occupational Health Science, we break down what different types of office setups mean for bullying experiences, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions.

Using a large, representative dataset of Swedish office workers, the researchers compare private offices, small shared rooms, traditional open offices, and activity‑based workspaces. Their findings are striking: employees in traditional open office environments are 54% more likely to experience workplace bullying than those in private offices. And while all office types have some level of risk, the most unstructured, desk‑sharing open plans show the highest rates of negative interpersonal experiences, lower job satisfaction, and greater intentions to leave.

You can find the original article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41542-025-00246-x

You can find the video version of this episode here

In episode 114, we sit down with Dr. Verena Haun, Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Würzburg, to explore a question many of us feel every Friday afternoon: Why is it sometimes easy to switch off from work—and other times almost impossible?

Drawing on a multi‑week study of more than 150 employees, Dr. Haun’s research uncovers three distinct patterns of psychological detachment across weekends:

* High and increasing detachment, where people start off disengaged and unwind even more.

* Moderate but improving detachment, where people slowly let go of work and ultimately feel most energized by Monday.

* Consistently low detachment, where work lingers mentally all weekend long.

We discuss why some people struggle to mentally switch off, how unfinished tasks and unresolved problems make detachment more difficult, and why problem‑solving conversations on Friday nights—not supplemental work—predict healthier recovery patterns.

You can find Dr. Haun here (https://www.psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de/ao/team/prof-dr-verena-c-haun/)

You can find the paper published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology here (https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2026-99066-001.html)